By Mark Sosin
Most of us are seldom satisfied. Picture those days when you are in the right spot and fishing is really good. Suddenly, an almost irresistible urge tries to force you to search for an even better area. Who among us at one time or another has not abandoned fast action with smaller fish to search for even larger quarry or a different species. We quickly convince ourselves that if we fail to find better sport, we can always come back to what we are presently enjoying.
It doesn’t work that way. Repeated failures and frustrations over the years have taught veteran anglers that it can be a losing gamble to leave fish in the hope of finding larger critters or even faster action. Conditions on the water can change so rapidly that the good thing you had going for you has long since stopped before get back. Keep in mind that fish feed for a limited time and then they spend hours digesting their food. And, the colder the water, the longer digestion takes.
Fish are unpredictable. Anyone who puts in time on the water learns that there is no clear-cut method of determining when fish will feed and when they will stop. Even in a chum slick, where anglers are ladling food into the water and tossing handfuls of goodies behind the boat to keep fish in a feeding mood, the action varies. At times, the fishing can be impressive, but it can also slow down without warning.
Rules have exceptions and this one does, too. Every fisherman can point to the times when he violated this basic rule and found even better fishing. And, there are instances when an angler returns to the area of the initial action and it is still going on. It does happen, but the odds are strongly against it.
Inshore fishing in saltwater frequently depends on a particular stage of the tide or force of the current. To take advantage of different areas at the peak time, you often have to leave one spot while the action is still in progress. Veteran guides, for example, work a pattern tailored to tidal stages. They know the best fishing in a place occurs when the water is just the right depth or the current is flowing at the proper force. Some of these experts rely more on a clock than any other tool, and they time their arrival at each spot to coincide with optimum conditions.
I have fished with guides who work a pattern with great success, and they have no problem leaving fish to find fish based on the stage of the tide. There are also times when that doesn’t work for some unknown reason. I can think of a case in point when I fished a shallow flat loaded with fish. I could hardly wait for the next morning. On the exact same stage of the tide the next day, with the weather absolutely the same, there wasn’t a single fish on that flat.
The important thing to remember is that changing spots when the fish are feeding can be a major decision. Too many anglers fall into the trap of thinking they can return if they fail elsewhere and the fish in the first spot will still be feeding. That’s why experienced fishermen seldom leave fish to find fish.
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